mistertonyn

Folks,
My understanding was that the Billstein HD shocks were pretty much the equivalent replacement for the OEM shocks for the w210 (1999 in my case).
So I had all four installed recently and now the ride is much more firmer than before...I can feel the bumps on the road much more now..even my MB indy mechanic agrees that it is not as "floaty" as the OEM shocks.
So my question is... are the Billstein HD shocks designed or valved to be more sporty than the OEM shocks?

ohlord

lead you to believe that HD shocks were OE?
HD is HD,OE is OE
sachs boge are OE valving.
Your car came with 215/55/16 oe
what are you running now?
if you changed to 18's that is your problem,ride quality goes down as rim size goes up.
Give us more info.
ohlord

raymond g-

HDs are designed for 'heavy duty' which has an estimated 10% firmer dampening.

The Bilstein Sport has the same valving as HD but shorter by an inch. The full
stoke measures the same as the HD. Though it is a inch shorter, its end stroke
bottoms deeper than the HD.

mistertonyn

that they were the equivalent replacement for OEM shocks..or that OEM were actually made by Bilstein in some MB models. Perhaps I misunderstood what I read(on this forum) or I was given wrong information. Regardless, in a way it was a "good" misunderstanding...the ride is firmer and not as comfortable than OEM shocks for sure but it handles better
Almost makes me feel like I should have replaced the springs with Eibach...since it is a firmer ride already. So if I replace the springs now would the ride be even more firmer?

I am running 17x7.5" wheels with 235/45/17 tires in all four corners.

ohlord

with eibach springs is going to require sport shocks per post above for the shorter travel to match the lowered spring.17's ,springs and sport shocks will be a lot firmer then what you have now.
ohlord

mistertonyn

so that it will just lower the car slightly. Is that worth doing just so it would look good?

ohlord

6/10's of an inch front and 1/2 rear,hardly worth the effort.going from extreme thick to thinest.
Springs---word is eibach for drop and ride quality and H/R for drop and handling.
Ray is the king of pad changes
they are for fine tuning fr an rear ride heights down to the knats ***.
ohlord

mistertonyn

At least the HD shocks will give me a slight edge over OEM shocks in terms of handling.

Ohlord,
My transmission fluid and filter were replaced yesterday. The old fluid was a little bit on the dark side...but not to the point of sludge...I feel better now having it done. Luckily mine had the torque converter drainage... so most of the old oil was removed. If my transmission could talk...it would probably thank me for having it done.

ohlord

talk to the data bus(D2B) system and the word travels throughout the whole car,word gets back to the ECU and speaks volumes to the SDS.Then if neglected the SDS informs the dealer to inform you that you are S.O.L

B189s

Yes, I kind of got all my questions answered in this thread

I do know now that HD is abit stiffer than OEM, but what about Bilstein sport shocks? I couldn't really understand what Raymond g- tried to say on

'The Bilstein Sport has the same valving as HD but shorter by an inch. The full
stoke measures the same as the HD. Though it is a inch shorter, its end stroke bottoms deeper than the HD'

Was he trying to explain sport shocks are alot firmer than OEM OR a tad firmer than HD?

I do also know now that Eibach is less stiffed than H&R,but what about the drop? H&R lowers more?

Now, my car is a '96 E320 with 33,XXX KMs on it. The car suspension still feels great, OEM, floaty, comfortable and all, but whenever I hit a small/smooth hole/ bump, I felt like the car hitting a really big hole/bump. I mean it felt and sounded like the car had some COs on.

Why's that? My springs/shocks's life is finished? My car needs new rubber bushings? new arms?

THX

MR888

W210 E55's come with Bilstein HD's as OE.

raymond g-

i dont have the HD and Sports on hand to verify what i wrote last year.
the compression and rebound dampening rates are the same for both models.
both HD and Sports are approx 10% firmer than OEM E320 shocks (generally
speaking)

the Sport is about 1" shorter than HD to work in tandem with Eibacht, H&R,
Vogtland etc lowering springs.

B189s

10% is not bad

I've driven worse suspension such as Tein Basic COs. I have Eibach springs/Bilstein sport shocks on my other C and it's alot firmer than stock suspension as well.

Could it be the same compression and dampening between Bilstein sports for W203 and W210? Sorry for a noob question.

uberwgn

The Bilstein Sport is supposed to have nearly identical valving to the HD. I have quite a bit of experience with both in multiple cars. The Sport is intended for use on lowered cars.

You could purchase new factory springs for your car or even the OE parts from an E55, for example. This is what I've done recently and think it's the best solution for my horrid roadways. I've been thru H&R and Eibach.

If you purchased a fresh set of factory springs for your car, and installed the Bilstein HDs, you WILL find that somewhat firmer than the stock setup. You have limited control of ride height via the spring pads.

I installed Bil HDs on a 1998 diesel and the owner complains just a bit about ride quality. However, I don't think he notices any harshness after they've broken in a bit.

I installed Bil HD in the front end of our '02 wagon about 6 months ago. I think these newer cars have a bit softer ride and the HD is quite nice in this application. This car also has two new front springs.

Decision making criteria must include what wheel diameter you'll be using and the condition of the roads where the car will be used.

B189s

Well, the ride quality is pretty important for me on this car, but I want to drive this car in style as well. I'm trying to keep it in balance. Plus, I can always drive my W203 if I feel like driving a sportier car

I'm changing my pads tomorrow to the thinnest and if I don't like what I see, I'll just settle for Eibach springs/Bilstein HDs setup with 1s on the fronts and 2s on the rears for decent ride quality.

chriiz18

What about H&R Cup Kits? Has anyone tried this kits?

stickygreen

HD's have not worked well in my '97 e320. They ride way too harsh (even on stock 16's) over expansion joints and even larger bots dots. Ride is great when the road is smooth. Otherwise, it wasn't far off from my old BMW with H&R's & revalved-to-be-stiffer Bilstein Sports.

As soon as I stop spending money on my other vehicles (Dodge diesel & old Bimmer), my e320 is going to get a set of new OEM Sachs/Boge shocks from Autohaus AZ